


Plumeria

by itssparklesb



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:22:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27791467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itssparklesb/pseuds/itssparklesb
Summary: Hades feels lonely most of the time. Out of all the things a pandemic and a friendsgiving with a certain pink goddess make him feel lonely.(I made Zeus meaner than usual and I'm sorry for that)
Relationships: Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 89





	Plumeria

The underworld was a cold and lonely place when Hades first arrived. A puppy in his hand and sadness in his heart were the only companions on his way deep down. He shouldn't complain. It was a fair decision who got which realm to lead. Zeus suggested to leave it to fate.  
As Zeus prepared the sticks to pull, Hades felt nervous. He didn't want to pull the Underworld. Its reputation was widely known. Chaos. Darkness. Empty. Even if he didn't think he deserved to rule Olympus it was his first choice. A little glimpse of hope.  
Poseidon went first. He took a moment to ponder over which stick to pull but settled on the one in the middle of Zeus' purple hand. As he pulled it out a little smeared wave was revealed. A smile settled on his face. "Ocean. Sweet! I'll finally know if mermaids are real!" He exclaimed excited.  
Zeus offered his hand to Hades. His turn. His heart hammered, his stomach flipped and just the tiniest bit of hope settled in his heart. Maybe, just maybe he would pull Olympus. Maybe he would be the king of gods and could lead with compassion and a plan. Zeus grew impatient about Hades trying to decide and wiggled his hand in front of the blue god.  
"Come on. Pick one." He huffed, rolling his eyes. Hades settled on a stick and with one deep breath the little hope he was feeling plummeted down to the Underworld to wait there for him.  
"It's… empty… so I get the Underworld…" he whispered, staring at the stick. Silence. He felt his brothers eyes on him. He felt the eyes of Hera, Demeter and Hestia on him. Still his eyes never left the little stick in his hand. Nothing on it. Emptiness. Just like he himself. He's nothing. He's empty. Why did he ever think he deserved something else.  
"Aw man. Come on it won't be that bad. You can make it fun!" Poseidon tried to cheer his brother up. "Besides you'll still have us. We'll see each other plenty!" He added, hugging his older brother. Zeus pushed the remaining stick into his pocket, successfully hiding it from his brothers. It was empty just like the stick Hades just pulled. He just couldn't go lead the Underworld. He got his brothers out of Kronos, he saved everyone. He deserved to be King of them all even if that meant betraying his brother. No one would want him as King of god's anyways, he looked too much like Kronos. He knew Poseidon always went for the middle of everything to choose, so the plan was fairly easy. Have Poseidon go first and Hades second. Humble as Zeus is he offered to take whatever is left.  
"Yeah. You'll see us plenty! Don't worry man" Zeus smiled at his older brother. Just a day after this Zeus found himself next to the remaining traitors, sending Hades off to the Underworld. To say he was feeling bad was a lie. Hades would be fine and he himself would feel more than fine too.

Plenty quickly turned into once a month. Hades felt lonely most of the time but was lucky enough to have a friend. Hecate. She was the first person he got to know in the Underworld and worked at his side to get rid of the chaos. Together they reformed the Underworld to what it is today… or was a couple of months ago.  
Zeus had brought some sort of sickness from whatever sex adventure he was on to their realms. Strangely it affected gods, nymphs and every possible creature in their kingdoms. The Underworld quickly went into quarantine. Hades called a couple of emergency meetings but his brothers, especially Zeus wouldn't understand that it's a big deal.  
"We're gods. We can't die of a silly little sickness Hades. You're totally overreacting!" Zeus scoffed.  
"We can't. But nymphs do! Everyone else who isn't a god can die. You need to take this serious Zeus! After all you're the one who brought it here!" Hades spits back frustrated.  
The fight went one between them for a while with Poseidon just watching his brothers. Hades grew way too frustrated and hung up in the middle of Zeus' monologue about how he could easily just reproduce whoever dies.  
With a heavy sigh Hades sets down his glasses. His big hands rub his face and then wander into his hair. It's been 3 months since he actually saw another being in person. 3 months since he left his house. 3 months since he casually talked to someone. Sure he was on calls with Hecate pretty often, he talked to employees and business partners over video chat but… he was talking to a screen. He was thankful for video calls but also frustrated with them. Younger gods figured out how to put pictures in the background and used this opportunity to play with him. The worst he's seen so far was Hermes just putting a picture of himself without a shirt. Hades had a pretty strict Hermes-please-for-the-love-of-everything-wear-a-shirt rule. The young red God showed up one too many times shirtless at work. Since Hermes himself was wearing a shirt during the video chat though, Hades couldn't do much.  
When business was done, the laptop closed and his office door shut behind him all Hades had left was silence. Silence. And darkness. And loneliness. And sadness. Just like when he first came here. Just like… when he was inside of Kronos. If he didn't have work it would be like this all the time. His feet carry him to the living room where six dogs await his arrival. The only ones who kept him sane in this time. Sometimes he wished he would have just taken a queen. She would have hated him for it but at least he would have another god here to talk to. But after his relationship with Minthe ended badly he just didn't have the time or motivation to find someone. Her voice constantly ringing in his head that no one would ever love him. He's a spitting image of Kronos. Unworthy of love. But at least he had his dogs who loved him.  
"Hey guys. Dinner time." He smiles, happily receiving their love. How he wishes they could talk. He sometimes wonders what they would say but then his mind goes too far. One night it ended with him crying because his brain was convincing him that his dogs gossip about him while he's at work. His therapist told him that, no his dogs don't hate him and they would say all nice things.  
As Hades sets down the food for his dogs he takes a once over. Cerberus isn't back from work yet. He would definitely say nice things. He was sure the others would too, except maybe Cordon Bleu. He would insult his clothing, Hades was sure of it.  
"So… what are we gonna do tonight? You guys wanna watch a movie?" He asks his eating dogs. No reaction. "Movie it is then!" He exclaims. Grabbing meatloaf leftovers he had in the fridge, he makes his way to his couch, putting on whatever movie was on. Most of his evenings went like this. In fact, most of his days were the same. Work, scream at Zeus, feed the dogs, eat something, watch a movie, nighttime routine, go to bed, lie awake trying to deal with the silence surrounding him, breaking down and letting all his dogs in his bedroom just so he could have some sort of noise, put on a shitty soap opera for more noise, fall asleep to said opera, wake up after two hours of sleep, breakfast coffee, work.

"It's Thanksgiving Hades! You can't lock yourself away during Thanksgiving!" Zeus exclaims. He's sick and tired of his older brother behaving like a little bitch. "You can't die from it Hades!"  
"I can't. But my dogs can. And seeing all the parties you've been having instead of dealing with this like an adult, I'm sure that you have that virus still in you." Hades said calmly, looking through paperwork on his desk.  
"Come on..they're just dogs. One dies, you get a new one. Don't you have like 3 of them?" The purple god rolled his eyes. Hades' movement stalls for a moment, his brain trying to comprehend what his brother just said.  
"They're not just dogs. They're like family to me. Like my children. How dare you say something like that?!" His eyes light up red as he smashes down his paperwork. "I have 7 dogs. 7! And I would never replace a single one of them. And I would never endanger them because my manchild of a brother doesn't fucking care about other beings!!" His voice rose to a scream. His youngest brother made him angry a lot. But never had he felt this level of anger running through his veins. He quickly collected himself, his face turning stone cold. "So once again. No. I won't come to your Thanksgiving party. I'll stay with my just dogs who care about me more than my own brother. Goodbye." The white haired God says with a chilling voice and ends the call. He lets out an angry huff and gets up. Three long strides and he's at the door of his home office. He'd rather spend this stupid holiday with his dogs than his stupid brother. His hand finds the doorknob and twists. Normally he left his office door closed to minimize distractions but now… he needed some dog cuddles. Opening the door startled several dogs who were lounging on the couch. "Daddy is having a hard day" Hades lets out as he lays down face first on the black sleek looking piece of furniture. Within seconds Fudge cuddles into his side. Mushroom looks at him with big sad eyes before giving his dad a big sloppy lick. Hades snorts. "Thanks bud. I'm all better now. All thanks to you. You're a hero!" He praises the dog. Ten minutes of pets and snuggles later Hades wanders back into his office as he hears the faint ringing of the video chat program. He answers as he sits down, leaving his office door open for his dogs to walk in. His shirt is untucked and ruffled, his suit jacket discarded in the living room.  
"Hey Hecate. Got something for me?" He asks, reaching for his coffee mug.  
"I emailed you new reports 15 minutes ago and you haven't answered me yet. Are you okay?" Hecate asks, her voice sounding worried. "Be honest." She adds inspecting Hades clothing. Something definitely was wrong. Hades' face falls a bit.  
"I… no I'm not okay. All I do is fight with my brother. I'm… I'm alone." He sighs. "I… yes I have my dogs but they can't talk to me and… when work is done I don't talk to you or Thanatos. Or gosh I can't believe I say this. Or Hermes. I'm just… I'm alone with my thoughts in this… huge house. And it's so damn quiet here." His ramble is met with surprised silence.  
"Why did you fight with Zeus? Same old or something new?" Hecate asks with a strangely soft voice.  
"Same old… and he said mean things about my dogs… sweet gaia now I sound like a toddler." He groans, rubbing his face.  
"You don't sound like a toddler. And hey… I have this friendsgiving thing tomorrow and…" Hecate stops at Hades skeptical look. "It's online. Calm down. Anyways. It's me and a few friends. I'm sure they'd be okay with you joining. We're starting to chat at noon to share recipes. Then everyone's gonna cook whatever they want. My friend Demeters daughter will make some dessert for all of us. They're getting Hermes to drop it off at our doorsteps. Don't worry I'm forcing him to wear a shirt and a mask." She chuckles.  
"You're friends with Demeter? I don't think she would want me there." Hades intercepts.  
"Don't be silly. She's very welcoming in the harvest season. Plus she told me last time we talked that she admires how you deal with this whole situation. The Underworld is doing the best by far!" Hecate smiles.  
"What's the dress code?" Hades asks after pondering a little.  
"Perfect. I knew you would join! They're all very welcoming so don't do that anxiety thing of yours. Hestia might ask you for donations. And dress code is casual but still chique" Hecates grin illuminates the screen.  
"Alright. I'll join. What kind of recipes are we sharing?" Hades asks, jotting down some notes as his friend gives him instructions.

The next morning Hades decides to break his routine. As his alarm goes off he turns it off and stays in bed a bit longer, much to the liking of his dogs. After that he takes a longer shower and gets dressed in a pair of sweatpants he hasn't worn since the beginning of this whole sickness. He pairs the sweatpants with a nice sweater for the friendsgiving call. Wandering into the kitchen he catches a red glimpse in his window. Hermes flying by. He must have brought the dessert Hecate talked about. Hades opens the front door to a little basket filled with all kinds of things. He frowns as he picks it up to bring it in. Setting it down on the kitchen counter he takes a closer look. There's a bottle of nectar, something wrapped which he assumes is the dessert, some fresh vegetables and fruit, flowers and a letter. His fingertips trace the petals of the flowers. "Plumeria…" he whispers. Those are his favourite flowers. How did Demeter know? No one knew. Why would Demeter even send him this basket? His brows knit into a frown as he pulls out the pink letter addressed to the King of the Underworld. The writing is in perfect cursive. Hades opens the letter and quickly reads it.

Dear King of the Underworld,  
Should I address you as that? Or Hades? Aidoneus? I'm sorry I never interacted with royalty before. Or a man. Or anyone really.  
My name is Kore. I'm the daughter of Demeter and the goddess of spring.  
Hecate told my mother and me that she invited you to our friendsgiving because otherwise you'd spent it alone.  
I'm sorry that you're lonely. I'm lonely too most of the time. Sure there's always nymphs around me but I still feel alone. I don't have many friends and I'm pretty sheltered… what I'm trying to say is that I understand your loneliness. And I'd like to offer you my friendship through exchanging letters? Hermes mentioned he works for you so he could easily deliver my letters.  
I completely understand if you don't want this. After all I'm not really royalty or someone important or close to you. I just… thought you could use company.  
I'll stop this letter now. I hope you'll enjoy our thanksgiving.  
It might be a bit much for you. Our group is all women. Hestia might ask for donations to TGOEM. I'm sorry in advance for that.  
I hope you don't mind the few extra things I packed with dessert.  
Sincerely,  
Your lonely companion Kore

His eyebrows are knitted as he frowns at the letter. What did Hecate tell them? Why did this Kore want to be his friend? Was she trying to gain anything from him? But her letter sounds sincere. His eyes wander over the beautiful writing again. "Kore…" he whispers to himself. She seemed nice. He'll have to do a little social media stalking after this friendsgiving. He sets the letter down and puts the gifts away.

Half an hour later his laptop is placed on his kitchen island. He's nervously waiting for someone to invite him to the call. They're already 10 minutes late. What if they didn't want him to join anymore? What if Demeter changed her mind? Or Hecate lied about Demeters statements? What if someone is just messing with him? Was there even a Kore? Maybe Hermes is playing a prank. His endless downwards spiral is cut short by the sound of an incoming call. He rushed to his laptop and accepts, waiting for it to load up. Soon his screen is filled with all kinds of faces. Most of them he already knew, one of them was new. "Hello." He smiles, giving an awkward wave.  
"Hades! Sorry we had technical difficulties." Hecate smiles. "A sweater? That's a refreshing change." She adds with aprovement. To which Hades just awkwardly rubs his neck.  
"Uncle Hades! It's so great to see you! How are you doing? Do you still have your dogs? Can you show them off?" Athena almost screams excited. Somehow, a mystery to Hades, he ended up being her favourite uncle.  
"Oh uh… yeah I still have them. And yeah I can show them off. If that's what everyone wants." He smiles. It will take a while for this to lose its awkwardness, especially with Demeter staring him down through the screen.  
"So nice of you to join us, Hades." Demeter days through a forced smile. "I think you met everyone here. Except my daughter Kore. Kore say hello to Hades." She adds, crossing her arms.  
"Hello. Nice to meet you." The absolute stunning pink goddess says with a voice as sweet as sugar, as melodic as Hades' favourite song. His smile turns dorky.  
"Nice to meet you too." He answers.

The video call lasts hours. The beginning was awkward. Everyone shared recipes and started to cook. Then Hestia held a presentation to gain Hades' sponsorship. He agreed on a donation and promised to send the check per mail. When they all ate everything turned to be more relaxed. Everyone was telling stories, jokes or gossip they heard. Even Demeter loosened up. Hades found his eyes wander to Kore several times throughout the evening. Before they all hung up Hades showed off his dogs. Instead of moving his laptop he just called them over and picked them up one by one, introducing them. Athena was thrilled, promising to visit her uncle and his dogs as soon as this was over. Kore was amazed by his dogs too, watching him with big eyes, her hands supporting her head as she leans on the table. It made Hades a bit proud. But the more present was the feeling of appreciation. He would definitely send a letter back.

It took Hades 3 days to finally be somewhat satisfied with his letter. With a sigh he closes up the envelope and calls Hermes to his house, leaving the letter at his doorstep. Hades watched through the door. "Make sure to deliver it to Kore. I don't want Demeter to see it." He instructs, scaring Hermes shirtless.  
"Geez. You could have given me a warning that you're behind that door." The god of thieves complained before leaving. Hades didn't expect the answer so soon but just a few hours later he read the pink letter.  
Over the next months they write daily. Her letters and occasional gifts brighten his day. He feels less lonely now with a friend. The virus is almost gone too. He had a serious call with Zeus, threatening him with breaking contact for good which resulted into Zeus working along. Of course to the public it seemed like Zeus, the fearless leader, did it all by himself. It frustrated Hades but all of his anger flew out the window when he received Persephones, which Kore went by now, letter. She promised to meet him as soon as it's safe and his heart went boom. He hadn't realised till then that he was falling for her. And he had fallen hard. With slightly shaking hands he put her letter in a small pink box he uses to store all of her letters.  
The daily letters soon left Hades unsatisfied. He wanted to hear from her more. To his disappointment she didn't have a phone. Demeter didn't allow it and Persephone, much to his dismay, declined his offer to buy her one. So Hades waited for her birthday. She couldn't deny a birthday present and he failed to send her little presents like she did throughout the entire time they exchanged letters. He picked the newest phone in white. He thought about getting her a black one just like he had but thought she might prefer a lighter colour. Knowing she didn't use technology that often he went and set it up for her, leaving a few cute pictures of his dogs on the device. Of course he picked an unlimited plan for the phone so Persephone could do what she wanted, which hopefully includes writing him. Maybe she would call him? How he wishes to hear her voice again. He saved his number in the phone and wrote down a few simple instructions how to use it.  
After inspecting everything he carefully wrapped the phone in some tissue paper and put it in a box. Hades wouldn't be Hades if he didn't add more to the gift. He likes to show his admiration with gifts and lately he got into online shopping. So whenever he saw a cute phone case, silly socks or even a nice scarf which he thought Persephone would like he ordered it. He packed the additional gifts and a cupcake he made himself in the blue box and tied it up with some pink ribbon.  
Over the months he found some sort of satisfaction in scaring Hermes whenever he came to pick up letters. At one point he even started switching up his positions so Hermes didn't know where he was. When Hermes comes to pick up Persephones gift, Hades makes sure to scare him before he picks up the box. "You know the drill. Don't let Demeter see or I'll bust your ass." He says, snickering at Hermes flinching. "Oh and Hermes? Please tell her happy birthday from me." He adds softly. Hermes gives a quick nod, picks up the box and is off on his way.  
Hades is awaiting any kind of news from Persephone, nervously pacing up and down his kitchen. His black coffee sitting on the sleek counter is long forgotten. Hades chooses to nervously chew his lip instead. Maybe she wouldn't accept it? Or she just had trouble figuring it out. Or Demeter was around her all day? Maybe she didn't like him that much? Maybe she just saw him as a friend and he overstepped a line? Once again his big blue hand ruffles through his hair, a stress mannerism he adapted over the years. Sometimes he wonders why his hair was still in such good shape, considering how often he tugged at it. Finally his phone made a sound ripping him from his dreadful thoughts. He picked up at lightning speed. "Hello?" He said with a hopeful voice.  
"Hey. You wanna do brunch? Cases are much better no…"  
"No! Now get off the line. I'm waiting for an important call!" Hades barks at his little brother before immediately hanging up. How dare Zeus ruin this for him. What if Persephone called in these very seconds and didn't get through? What if she thought Hades was too busy for her? He let out a frustrated growl and let his shoulders sink.  
"Why would she even want me?" He whispers to himself, sounding defeated. Mushroom walks over and sits down on Hades feet. Once again Hades wishes his dogs could speak. Mushroom would distract him. "Hey bud… be glad you're a dog. Love is hard. So so hard." He says while petting the dog. "You wanna go for a walk?" He asks at which the dogs ears perk up. He lets out an excited bark and goes to get the other dogs. Hades chuckles lowly. He grabs his phone, keys and the leashes and is off on a walk through his extended yard. He didn't extend his radius yet. He was convinced the dogs would love to go to a park but it was still risky. His phone rang and he answered without looking on the screen first. "Hello?" He asks, trying to manage all of his dogs with one hand.  
"Uhm… hello. This is Persephone." His favourite voice in this universe answers.  
"Persephone! Hi!" He's suddenly excited. "Happy Birthday. I hope you had a nice day." He adds, letting his dogs off their leashes so they could run around in the fenced in area.  
"Thank you! Well it… was stressful. It's the first day of spring after all so I had to work. Mother made me special breakfast though… and I got your gift. That brightened my day." She says softly. "Thank you so much. It's a bit much and I thought about returning it but… I wanted to be selfish and keep it so I can actually talk to you…" she sounds sheepish and it makes Hades blush.  
"It's nothing really… I just wanted… I wanted to talk to you too." He says softly. They continued to talk about their days, about Persephones tasks with spring, about Hades work, about his dogs and about everything really. Hades was so happy and relieved. He finally got to talk to her, finally got to hear her laugh again. 

Over the next months the three realms got the virus under control. Everything was back to normal. The new normal with keeping your distance, washing hands often and ocassionally wearing a mask. But even that got less and less as the situation improved. Hades got to talk to Persephone every day. It was the highlight of his day when he could hear her. With the situation improved as it is the both of them decided to hold a secret friendsgiving, just for them. It would be held a week before the actual thing happens.  
Hades nervously waits at the train station. He hopes Persephone was able to sneak away. His hands fumble with the sweater he's wearing. He dressed more casual in hopes that it would appease Persephone more. He really wanted this day to be perfect. It's the first time they meet in person and he just didn't want to do something to make her not like him.  
The train rolls in and Hades peeks over the wide spread crowd. In the middle of business people he spots a certain pink haired goddess. His face spreads into a smile as he walks over. "Hey!" He says excited.  
Persephone turns around and looks up at him with big eyes. Her lips turn into a soft smile. She was wearing a white dress, just like she usually wore in her mother's realm. "Hades! Hi!" She exclaims just as excited as him. Her face flushes as she tugs on her dress. "Sorry for this… I uh… will it be too much trouble if I go and buy myself a new outfit while we're shopping for dinner?" Her eyes avoid his face.  
"Of course. We can do that. Let's go to the car first though. People are watching." He says softly, his hand finding her lower back to lead her to his car. She blushes even more but follows him.  
Hades is a gentleman, that's well known all over the realms. Even her mother had to admit that he wasn't as bad as his brothers. He opens the door for her and closes it as she was situated in the passenger seat. He asks which music she wants to listen to, which store she wants to go to for new clothes, offers one of his jackets to her as she shivers. Wrapped in his jacket with some of Hades favourite music playing, they're on their way to a store that would have clothing. Persephone is seeing the underworld for the first time. She never really leaves her mother's side but today with her mother on a business trip she was able to sneak off. She had to promise the nymphs to bring them something from her adventure so her mother will never find out. Even with everything being new and fascinating to her, her eyes keep wandering back to Hades. The conversation is easy flowing and funny. She was concerned it would be awkward but it wasn't. The car comes to a stop and Hades opens his door.  
"Just stay close to me. If it overwhelms you squeeze my hand." He says softly, to which Persephone just nods. His door falls closed and she watches him jog around the front of the car to open hers. He offers his hand, which she gladly takes.  
The store is dark and gloomy, some upbeat music is playing. Persephone has her arms wrapped around one of Hades big arms as they walk around. The clothing was very fashionable, something she saw on her new phone. Hades had introduced her to some social media platforms, mainly fatesbook and Pinterest. The later one had been Persephones new obsession. She had a few boards for different things. One of them was for clothing. It started out with dresses that were her current style but the deeper she went the more new styles she found.  
As they walked through the store their conversation continued, sometimes interrupted by Persephone pointing out a clothing piece. She couldn't decide what to get and everything seemed so expensive. Her mother gave her some money for her birthday, which Persephone saved but since she never really went shopping without her mother she wasn't used to these prices.  
"May I help you with something?" A high voice interrupts them. Persephone turns around to a stylish looking Imp. She wore jeans and a blouse. Her hair carefully pinned up in curls, decorated with a beautiful comb. Blinking a few times Persephone nooded. "I uh… I'm trying to find a nice dress that fits in my budget." She says softly. Her and the Imp talk about the style and budget Persephone was looking for.  
"I'll be right back with some options." Olivia, as Persephone found out in their conversation, says with a soft smile. Persephone squeezes Hades arm as she smiles up at him. "Did you see that beautiful comb she was wearing? I wonder where she got that from." She says softly. Hades smiles down at her.  
"You could always ask her, you know." He shrugs. "Sweetness… if you want a dress that's a little out of your budget I could buy it for you" he mentally slaps himself at letting sweetness slip out of his mouth. He overstepped. The young goddess blushes.  
"Oh it's fine. It's just for this occasion… and hopefully the next time I can sneak out… I'd like to see you more often." She flirts with a smile. Hades' heart skips a beat, his eyes widening. She wants to see him more, his cheeks flush and before he can say something stupid back, the blue Imp returns.  
"Here's some options. I also pulled some dresses from the clearance section. The dressing rooms are over there, try them on. I hope there's something in there for you. If you need more help I'll be around." She says with a smile, handing Hades the hangers with dresses. Persephone thanks her and they walk to the dressing rooms. After a little try on session with Hades professional judgement, which was that she looked stunning in every single one of the dresses, she decided on a simple white summer dress, with some embroidery at the hems of its cap sleeves and skirt. It's on clearance and she's able to save some of her money for other things. Hades grabs her shopping bag for her and leads her back to his car.  
Grocery stores are a strange concept to someone who spent her entire life, living off the land. Her eyes full of wonder amused Hades. He pushed the cart as she walked next to him, holding his shopping list. She occasionally would read him an item of the list but most of the time she would look around. She seems a bit overwhelmed in the cereal aisle. Hades makes her stand on the cart, his arms sneak around her so he can still push it. His nostrils fill with the smell of fresh flowers as the pink goddess leans against his chest.  
"This is way better. Thank you." She whispers softly. "I've never been to a store like this. I didn't know there were so many options." she leans her head back to be able to look up at him.  
"It's normal to be overwhelmed with a new situation. Sorry I didn't prepare you better." He smiles down at her.  
"It's fine. It's not your fault." She smiles softly. After a moment she looks back down on the list so they can finish their grocery shopping.  
The way back to Hades house is a bit longer. He tells her all about his realm, warns her of Cordon Bleu and discusses cooking plans with her. Hades wishes she could be with him every single day. He wishes she could always go grocery shopping with him. He wishes they could go shopping for her more often. She deserves more clothes, more shoes, more pretty lady things. His mind trails off to the comb that she liked so much. He could make her one within seconds. He should do that before he drives her back to the train station. He pulls into the driveway and stops the car. "So uh… that's my house." He says sheepishly.

"That's your house? That's gigantic!" Persephone gasps, her eyes wide again.  
"I guess so… It's too big for just me and the dogs but Hecate made me get it. She said a King should never live in an apartment. Back then I only had one dog though." He says before he leaves the car. He helps her out once again and carries the groceries in. After some barking the dogs happily accept Persephone as new friend and play with her. She gives some of them kisses and Hades has never been more jealous of his dogs. 

They spend the afternoon cooking, both of them a good team in the kitchen. Persephone was wearing a way too big apron, that normally Hades wears. He insisted on her wearing it so she wouldn't ruin her new dress. The food was delicious and during dinner their conversation shifted from easy to flirty. First Hades couldn't understand that Persephone actually was flirting with him. Then he flirts back openly. If this worked out she could be his girlfriend. His fiance. His wife. His queen. She would be absolutely stunning as queen, only wearing the finest clothes. He would make sure of that. Demeter wouldn't be a big fan but Hades could probably convince her somehow. He would treat her daughter with respect and worship her. And Persephone seemed like she wanted a life for herself. Like she wanted to escape her mother.  
"I like you." He blurts out, catching her off guard a bit. Her head tilts.  
"I like you too Hades." She says softly, the slightest hint of confusion in her voice.  
"No. I like like you. I really like you." He clarifies, his face flushes dark.  
"Oh!" Her eyes grow wide as she understands what he means. "I like like you too." She says softly, a small smile on her lips, she's equally as flushed as Hades. There's a short silence as he stares at her, taken aback.  
"You do?" He whispers.  
"I do." She confirms. He smiles. The smile quickly turns into a happy grin. He lets out a soft laugh. Persephone looks at him confused.  
"Please don't misunderstand this. I… this just… this makes me so happy. I've… I've been alone for so long and I… I'm pretty sure I never had someone like like me and… this just makes me really happy." He rambles. Persephone gets up and walks over to him. She takes his hand and softly tugs him out of his chair. Hades complies. She looks up at him and motions for him to bend down a little.  
"You're too tall for me to do this." She says softly before she presses a kiss to his cheek. Hades couldn't describe the feeling it gave him. Butterflies swarmed throughout his whole body, his cheeks felt warm and his face hurt from smiling so much. How he wished he could kiss her lips. But that would be too soon, wouldn't it? He didn't want to mess this up.  
"They're all idiots to not like like you." She says softly as she pulls back. Her eyes finding his. "But I guess I'm also thankful they don't… because now you're mine." She says boldly and Hades never felt this alive. His eyes search hers for any hint of being dishonest but there aren't any. He can't hold himself back anymore and his lips find hers in a soft but yet intense kiss. Her hands find a place tangled in his hair, her lips move softly against his, her tiny nose pokes his big one. His arms wrap around her, lifting her off the ground. The kiss lasts a few moments but for them it felt too short. Persephone pulls back for air, her eyes slowly opening and finding his.  
"Best friendsgiving ever." She chuckles and Hades can just agree with a chuckle of his own. He lays his forehead against hers.  
"Does that mean you're mine too?" He whispers. Persephone nods and pecks his lips.  
"Yeah… if you want me. It'll be a bit difficult with my mother and all." She looks down.  
"We'll figure it out." He promises with a soft smile. She was his. And he was hers. His heart was happy and he couldn't believe he ever felt as lonely as he did last year. It's good he felt that lonely though. It lead him to her. His future queen.

Hades finds himself at the train station way too soon. The hours they spent together went by too fast and now he had to say goodbye. Persephone was dressed in the outfit she came in again, her new dress carefully tucked away. He's holding her in his arms, not caring at the people around them staring. His view wanders over the people and he spots a certain blue Imp. The comb! He needed to make Persephone a comb. He pulls back and is met with a little pink pout.  
"I'm sorry sweetness. I have something for you before you leave." He says softly. He does a little wave of his right hand and a beautiful comb appears out of thin air.  
It's small, leaves and flowers decorate it. It's shining in the little light of the Underworld. Persephone gasps and starts to decline his gift but he simply places it in her hair and presses a kiss to her lips.  
"Happy friendsgiving." He whispers and softly pushes her towards her train.  
"Happy friendsgiving Aidoneus." Persephone whispers back, her hand on his chest. She gives him one last kiss before the train doors close on them. Hades waves with a big smile and waits for the train to disappear in the distance. Only when he can't see it anymore he stops waving and makes his way back to his car. As he opens his door he catches his reflection. His eyes wander to the pocket of his jacket that sits over his chest. In it is a single pink and yellow Plumeria. He smiles and keeps it safe in the pocket. 

Hades never felt more loved. His work days were still the same, his brothers were still annoying but he gets to come home to his beautiful girlfriend playing silly games with their dogs. Persephone moved in with him as she started her studies. Her scholarship fell through and her mother was about to deny her her education in Olympus. Persephone was so sad about it, it destroyed him. So he took a deep breath, brought his best whiskey to Zeus and worked his magic as big brother. Zeus gladly pretended to give Persephone the Olympian scholarship for outstanding grades. It was just a visage for Hades sponsoring Persephones studies so Demeter wouldn't suspect anything. Persephone was thrilled when he told her. She moved on campus into student housing but most of the time she lived with Hades. They got to live together, they got to go to stores together, they got to cook together, they adopted another dog together and the most important thing: they got to be together, making each other happy. And Hades had every intention to keep it that way by making her his queen.


End file.
